Moving grate for boiler-furnaces



(No Model'. 2 Sheets-Sheet '1.

DE WITT 0i HILL MOVING GRATE FOR BOILER FURNACES.

No. 276,691. Patented May 1,1883.

Attorney.

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' (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. DE .WIT "1 G. HILL."

. MOVING GRATE P BOILER FURNACES. No. 276,691. f Patented May 1,1883.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DE WITT o. HILL, or WILLIMANTIO, CONNECTICUT.

MOVING GRATE FOR BOILER-FURNACES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 276,691, dated May 1, 1883.

Application filed March 26, 1883. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DE WITT 0. HILL, of Willimantic, county of Windham, State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in MovingGrates for Boiler-Furnaces, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification.

Myinvention relates to a novel construction of rocking grate-bars for boiler-furnaces, to the manner of supporting and pivoting the same, and to the arrangement of means for rocking said bars; and it consists, first, in providing the grate-bars, in their lower faces, with sockets for the reception ot and in combining them with fixed pivotal pins or supports, whereby the latter are covered and protected from ashes and other clogging matter; also, in a novel formation of the sockets in the grate-bars and ofthe supporting-pivots, whereby the bars are adapted to be readily removed and replaced when cold, but are firmly secured in place by expansion of the metal when heated.

It further consists in providing the gratebars with curved ribs or teeth arranged transversely of the main grate-bar and projected above the latter in such manner as to permit the air to circulate around it.

It further consists in making the stationary pivots on which the grate-bars rest-adj ustable to accommodate or adapt them to any warping 0E the bars, as hereinafter explained.

Intheaccompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan vieutof a portion of myimproved grate. Fig. 2represents alongitudinal section through the same. Fig. 3 is a transverse section, showing one of the grate-bars partly in side elevation and partlyin section and Fig.4 is a perspective view, showing a portion of one of the grate-bars and one of the supporting-pivots enlarged; v

A and A represent the side and end Walls of the ash-pit, and of a portion of-the'fire-box surrounding the grate, and which may be of any usual or suitable form or construction. a and a" are parallel longitudinal bars, secured to the end walls in any suitable man-' ner, preferably in such manner as to permit slight lateral adjustment, for a purpose which will be explained. These bars may be either longitudinally slotted or they may be arranged in pairs, one pair near each side wall, but sufficiently removed therefrom to permit the free passageofashes and elinkers between them and said side walls. These parallel longitudinal bars a c are adapted to beadjnsted laterally by means of set-screws a penetrating the side walls of the furnace and resting against said supporting-bars, this adjustability being obviously helpful in the case where short gratebars are employed and the expansion thereof would not be sufficient to cause the pivotal pins b to enter the slots d. To these bars a a are secured short upright standards b and b,provided with shoulders which rest upon the bars a a, and secured to the latter by means of througlrbolts c, the bars a and a, where the bolts 0 pass through them, being provided I with slots, which permit a slight adjustment, longitudinally of the bars, of the standards b b, to compensate for or to accommodate them to any warping ot' the parts. The upper ends of the standards b and bhave pivots b formed upon them, which project inwardly toward each other, and which enter sockets d, formed in the lower faces of the grate-bars D. (See Figs. 3 and 4.) The inner walls of these vertical sockets d have cylindrical sockets (1" formed in them, adapted. to receive the projecting inner ends of the pivots b These sockets are so formed and arranged relatively to the supporting-pivots that when thebars arecold the pivots enter only the vertical portionsof the sockets, adaptingthem to bereadily removed and replaced orrenewed; but when in useand heated by the fire upon the grate the bars are expanded in length by the heat sufficiently to cause the pins 1) to enter the cylindrical portion (1 of the sockets, and thus to effectually prevent accidental displacement of the grate-bars By making the bars a'and a laterally adjustable, as above suggested, the pins b may be engaged with the sockets 61, thereby obviating the necessity of depending on the expansion of. the grate-bars, due to heat; but ordinarily the latter action will be found sufficient for the purpose explained. By preference the portions D of the gratebars, in which the sockets d are formed, are

too

made a little heavier than the other portions of the bar to accommodate said. sockets, and at the same time avoid unnecessary weight of metal in other parts of the bars.

The bars D have transverse ribs or teeth, (1 formed upon their upper portions and projecting above and upon the sides of the bars, said ribs or teeth being arranged side by side and curved in the arc of a circle on their upper faces, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, and forming the grate-surface, with the main bars or portions D depressed, so as to permit the circulation of air around them, thereby securing greater durability. The grate-bars D are shown arranged in two sets, and are each provided at or near the center of their length with a pendent arm, E or E, forming a lever for rocking it, those of one set being pivoted at their lower ends to a horizontal bar, F,and those of the other set with a similar bar, F, each provided on its inner end with a pendent arm,f, oue connected by a horizontal llnk or pivoted bar, G, with a pendent link or bar, H, and the other, G, with a similar pendent bar. (Not shown.) These pendent links H are pivoted at their upper ends in suitable lugs or ears, I, on the frame of the ash-pit door or other suitable support, and at their lower ends one to the bar G and the other to the bar G, and are each provided with a horizontal socket for the reception of a key or shaker, J, by means of which the bars D can be rocked on their supporting-pivots in a manner that will be readily understood.

The lever-arms E of the forward set of bars are set inclining to the rear, and the arms E of the rear set incliningforward, by preference, as by this arrangementa greater tilting movement can be given toward the center of the grate, the bars or teeth d in rocking toward the center, being adapted to be rocked downward to an angle of forty-five degrees, more or less, while in rocking toward the ends of the fire-pot they will rock to an angle of only about twenty-five degrees-a movement facilitating the clearing or freeing ot' the grate-bars. The grate-bars, where the furnace is not large, may be arranged in a single set, and all connected with and operated by a single set of links and levers; or, where the furnace is a large one, they may be arranged in more than two sets, for facilitating the operation of shaking the grate, as may be desired.

[twill be seen that the arrangement of the pivots on which the grate-bars rock, whereby they are let into and. covered by said bars, effectually protects said pivots from beingclogged by ashes or clinkers, and also from the direct action of the fire, in such manner that they are not liable to get out of order, and they are consequently rendered not only more durable, but much more reliable in operation than the exposed journals or pivots ordinarily employed.

As above stated, my improvements may be readily applied to any of the boiler-furnaces in common use, beingadapted also to the Corliss or round fire-box, especially where a water-leg is used at the center of the boiler, by varying the lengths of the grate-bars and the arrangement of their supporting bars and pivots to suit said form. I do not limit myself to two pairs only of longitudinal parallel bars, a

a, as in a long or continuous grate it may be found desirable to supply the grate with other sets of supporting-bars to prevent sagging.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new is 1. Grate-bars provided in their lower faces with sockets for'the reception of and in (30111 bination with fixed pivots restingin said sockets and adapting said bars to be rocked on their longitudinal axes, scribed.

2. Grate-bars provided with curved transverse ribs or teeth, said bars being depressed below the curved upperi'aces of said ribs or teeth, and provided in their lower faces with sockets adapting them to receive and to be rocked on theirlongitudinal axes on fixed piv substantially as deots, substantially as and for the purpose described.

V 3. The grate-bars provided withsockets in their lower faces, in combination with the inwardly-projecting pivots, whereby said bars are adapted to be secured in place by expansion, substantially as described.

4. The fixed pivots on which the socketed grate-bars are supported, in combination with slotted supporting-bars permitting their ad justment to compensate for warping, substantially as described.

5. The bars supporting the stationary pivots on which the grate-bars are rocked, in 00111 'bination with means for adjusting said pivotsupporting bars laterally,substantially as de'- scribed.

In testimony whereotIhave hereunto set my hand this 23d day of March, A. D. 1883.

DE WITT G. HILL. Witnesses:

JOHN I). WALDEN, CHAS. E. STRONG. 

